Former Brazil president Lula poised for corruption trial, associates fear

Family members and associates of former Brazilian president Luiz Ináçio Lula da Silva fear he will soon be put on trial for what is alleged to be a central role in a massive corruption scheme at the state-run oil company Petrobras.

The Workers’ party leader – who is unquestionably the most influential figure in Brazil’s recent history – has been named in plea bargains by former allies and business executives who have been arrested in the Lava Jato investigation into revelations that construction firms secure inflated contracts in return for kickbacks to executives and politicians.

Among them is Delcídio do Amaral, the former Workers’ party leader in the upper house, who has recently testified that Lula – as he is universally known – attempted to impede the inquiry. The former senator, who was stripped of his mandate, told the Guardian he expected judges to make a decision shortly on his deposition.